I've just finished reading this book and can't wait to recommend it for my next book club meeting. While I would love to sit here and describe to you in detail what the book is about, that's not the purpose of this post. What I will tell you is a couple of things I'd like to share with you

Eat - the first word of the book's title encourages us to eat; to enjoy food to the supreme. This of course does not equal gluttony, but merely suggests that food is more than something to satiate our basic hunger. Food evokes emotion as well - it conjures memories of childhood meals, joins people together in celebration, and stirs passion in the heart of a cook. Enjoy the food that you eat and appreciate the effort and flavour that goes into it. I'm not saying that you mosey on down to your nearest McDonalds and analyze the structural prowess of a Big Mac, but learn to enjoy the food that you eat and the satisfaction that it can bring you.

Even if you don't believe in it, pray - while the author goes to great lengths to believe in the power of prayer and 'find God', you'd be surprised just how straightforward it can be. So many people say that when they've prayed for something, they've always got what they needed in some form of the other. Prayer is a powerful thing, and it is the act itself that sets the wheels of the universe in motion - the fact that you can concentrate all of your will into a singular thought, one prayer, one iota of hope that you will receive what you ask for, is truly what drives you towards that goal.

Give thanks - be thankful for what you have in your life and what has been given to you. The age old tale "there's always someone who's worse off than you" is very true, though when it's being thrown at you by your mom it loses its effect. Be thankful that you woke up to go through another day. Be thankful that you have a job. Be thankful that you have people in your life that love you. Be thankful for every single blessing that comes your way, and even be thankful for the bad times in life, as they only come your way to show yourself that you can get through pretty much anything that life can throw at you.

Truly learn to love - while many will attribute love to a relationship, this is not always the case. Love surrounds, envelops, and cradles us in times when we think we cannot push forward. Love comes from friends, family, pets, and everything around us. If you are able to truly love something in your life, that love will never disappoint or desert you. This may sound like something from a Hallmark card, but I'm talking from personal experience here. In times where I would think that my life had little meaning, I would remember all the people in my life who loved me and enjoyed spending time with me - the effects can be remarkable.

Learn to let go - the sooner you realize that you don't control your life, the easier things are going to be. People spend ridiculous amounts of time in their life trying to control everything and trying to make sure that things go exactly as they want them to. And when they don't turn out the right way, it leaves this feeling of disappointment that can often be hard to get over. You can of course control (to an extent) what job you get, what friends you have, or even who you get as a partner, but outside of that everything is left to the cogs of the universe.

And to kind of wrap things up, here's a sneak peek at the upcoming movie based on the book:

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